Second and last part. There will be a moment when I recommend playing the Dark Souls 3 Main Theme, so if that's something you enjoy having, open up a youtube tab. If not, just ignore it.

Prologue (2/2): The struggle before the Awakening

Father told me this feast would be the first of many. An atmosphere like never before: cold, harsh, unfriendly. My brother didn't just make a difference, he made our whole world. Our vassals had surely realized that the royal family knew Hades would come for their first born son. They had realized that the reason I had become such a proactive princess after my brother's return wasn't just a small move, but the start of my reign.

My brother's and father's plan relied on getting me started on my connections and allies before our vassals were aware of the fight that was to come. People would defy much more frequently, and much more openly than they would against my brother. That was a given. There would be doubts about my capacity, and the older men of this kingdom would naturally underestimate my abilities.

Funny how I would never know what my reign would truly become and give. Legacy? I didn't have any.

At the down of the next day, after my brother's sacrifice, the city heard loud steps over the horizon. Like thousands of horses were running in perfect synchrony, we heard the gallop. Our glasses of water and wine shook, and their liquid reverberated with the shaking of the Earth.

Then came the yelling and the screaming. The war cries of the undead, which reassembled the shrieks of a tortured creature. I had first been mesmerized by my cup of water, how its content had been dancing in tune with the drums of an army. But when those loud noises erupted, I forced myself to leave my bed and look through my window.

Hordes of undead knights, warriors, elephants, and great cats invaded the city, running up our walls and leaving behind a trail of burning of blue fire. I heard the orders from down below, our garrison and knights organizing our defense.

There was only one thing I could do. And so I opened the heavy doors to my room, when I came face to face with my father. He was in armor, holding his sword at his waist, while holding another on his hands. It was my sword, a sabre, which he had taken after grounding me.

He pointed its handle to me. "Your mother is safe, and now's the time to see how much you've learned with John."

As I took my sword in my care, I kept my eyes on my father. He had grown so old in the last few hours.

"Now, follow me my daughter." He said, voice dripping with anger, "It seems there's a god we haven't appeased enough."

Afterwards, I ran behind him, reaching the armory in no time. I immediately ran for a simple suit of armor available to my frame. I couldn't really be picky about, since I had yet to order something custom made, and the body of a woman, no matter how strong, was still curved differently than a man. However, that didn't stop me from hearing my father speaking to his commanders.

"But sir, it is imperative that His Highness stays with the garrison!"

"There will no Kingdom to rule after to tonight, Sir Lovri. Hades has come with no hunger for diplomacy."

"And the princess, your heir—"

My father spat, "She's not a woman to stay in the castle and wait to be strangled by the enemies of our Kingdom. If tonight is to be our end, then it is the opportunity of every men and women of Lusitania to forge their last chapter. If my daughter is to have no Kingdom to rule, than let her strike at those who've come to destroy her."

The soldiers, the garrison, what orders are to give—"

"I will give the orders!" my father clamored.

As I tied the last pieces, a servant to help me with my arms, the sounds of thunder started to get closer. Every face I saw was dressed with terror, fear contorting the muscles and expressions of every man. And yet, at that cursed dawn, my father rose over the wall and addressed the last organized soldiers in the capital.

I could see the havoc outside the royals castle, as man and woman fought by themselves the beast, unrelenting in their effort to get to our castle.

"My men! My soldiers! My heroes! It seems our god has forfeited us, and yet here we stand! A coward such as him, a lying creature, even if divine, is no better than a demon! But he has no control over our lives, or would all have died in our sleep. He must send his slaves, his cursed soldiers to do his job for him! Know what the means?! That he has no power over our hearts! Here, before you stands your last choice, your last will, your last say! Will you die as a coward, or will you strike one last hit on his devils' asses!?"

And it was amazing as his voice reached the entire courtyard. While before the soldiers would whisper while trembling, their eyes grew wild as they heard my father's words. A light that wasn't there was suddenly lit.

"Remember that we pray for their grace, the divine grace, but for ourselves! We pray for ourselves and our loved one, my men! Will you fight for man, not for god!?"

The crowd yelled wildly.

"Will you fight for yourselves?!"

The crowd yelled again.

"Then open the gate! Open so we can bring down the army of Hades!"

And with a loud bang, the wooden bridge fell over the river, and the metal gate opened. With one last war cry, the first wave of soldiers invaded the city, while archers fired flaming arrows from the top of the walls.

"My princess!" I heard a familiar voice from the commotion.

Sir Romsky was on horse, and another was right behind his.

"Get up on it quickly and follow my lead!"

I did so, pushing myself off the ground and climbing over the full-sized horse, though I had some trouble. Damn it, I hadn't practiced my horsemanship well enough!

"In hindsight, it is a shame we never practiced fighting on horses, Sir Romsky." I tried to smile, despite the circumstance. My heart was beating so loudly I could hardly hear myself. "Oh well, there's never a better teacher than some practical experience."

"That I cannot disagree, my princess! Ya!"

He pressed his horse, and so did I, and the two of us left the castle right behind my father's royal guard, surrounded by foot pikemen. Finally, I laid my eyes on the city once again. The sky was covered in smoke, and the city shone a cursed blue light as the fire of hades destroyed half the city. The fire raged, the wind increasing its height, and at the bottom, the main avenue was covered with combatants. Most of them dead, at least when referring to those who were supposed to be living.

The dead, however, there were very few of them who were on the floor.

As the human forces dispersed as they got into the city, Sir Romsky and I kept track of my father, whose force had opened up and were now slicing off the skulls of armed skeletons.

It was then that something shone right above me. I moved my sabre, and it rattled with the impact, an arrow falling right behind my horse as we sped up through the streets. I was slightly impressed with my strike, but now I had no time to lose myself to my thoughts. The cavalry had dispersed further, so had we lost momentum. The army of Hades had gotten far denser, and our horses lacked the space for a charge. Adding the fact that archers were aiming at us, I saw more than a few knights fall from their horses.

"Retreat! Get around the Corner of Lua Street!"

We followed through the orders of my father, and since I and Sir Romsky were the closest to the retreat point, we were the first to fight the threat that was expecting us. As we turned the corner, skeleton pikemen held the left, while sword fighters advanced through the center and a large skeleton of a beast made its way through the right. We turned outwards, preferring to avoid the pikemen while on horse, and I forced a charge through the swordsmen.

My heart was beating wildly, and there was nothing that I wanted to do more than close my eyes and pretend this was a nightmare.

But mid my charge I saw another glow above me, and my strike was true, cutting an arrow mid its path and saving myself from being impaled. That woke me up. Raising my sword, I gave a pull to the left in order to avoid the attack of an advancing swordsman, and then I followed by bringing down my blade on another soldier further behind.

My horse was also quite heavy, strong indeed, for he kept at the charge even after meeting the swordsmen, and I hurt the sound of broken bones as we ran over numerous soldiers of Hades. Seeing that further forward I would only meet more of the devil's soldiers, I turned and returned through my right, hoping to meet Sir Romsky.

I only met his horse.

Down on the floor was my loyal guard, stuck to the ground by the paw of the large skeleton beast.

I screamed, prodding my horse for another gallop, which came to a run right as we were reaching the creature. It had its another paw raised, ready to strike down at Sir Romsky, but I managed to catch it mid and cut with my sabre, flying wildly over the street.

My father's charge came right after, and the rest of Hades' swordsmen fall one by one, but again, more knights fell to the pikemen, who had been able to advance and surprise a few of our horsemen.

It was then that a shower of arrows soared above us, coming from our castle and hitting the next incoming wave. These ones were more disorganized. The skeletons weren't in formation, and they carried a variety of weapons, from axes to maces and wooden planks. Few however fell, since only a select group of arrows were able to hit any important bones.

It was then that my world crumbled. A large shadow ran over my vision, my horses head cut and flying high while my shoulder had its skin peeled off.

Falling on the ground, I was able to roll away from my horse's body before it fell on me. I was bleeding incessantly, no doubt about that, but my right arm was still good, and my sabre still had a sharp edge to be used.

"Emilia!" I heard a scream, one moment later I recognized as my father's, and I saw him on his horse charge the beast from its side.

He never made it. From over the roof of a neighboring building, jumped a winged creature. Its body was similar to that of humans, but its nails were all long claws, and because of those claws, my father lost his head.

The creature fell down close to the skeleton beast, giving me a devilish smile with its black and numerous teeth.

A Fury. To witness such creature… I would've thought a privilege before this night, before Hades turned against his people. Now, I was just boiling with rage.

I put myself over my own two feet, and a quick survey of my surroundings told me many of our knights had been killed. The walls of our castle had large holes in it, and I could hear the screams. All was lost.

My father was beheaded.

My mother would surely be killed.

And my brother had been sacrificed, precisely to avoid such outcome. He had given his life believing in the good will of Hades. But Hades was a traitor. A slimy son of a bitch.

"Curse Hades, curse your master, until the last day of his breath!" I cried, running over to the two creatures facing me, the skeleton beast and the Fury.

Suddenly the air was ripped, a blue glow from the fire reflecting on the tip of an incoming arrow. My sabre was fast and deadly, and the arrow failed to pierce me.

As I got close, the beast pressed his hind legs as the Fury climbed the creature and rode on his back. The skeleton jumped, aiming teeth at my neck and the Fury too had its claws stretched for a piece of my head.

I contracted my leg and let myself fall right under their reach, raising my sabre and hitting one of the skeleton's hind legs. When they landed, the skeleton lost control and rolled away, but the Fury bounced from his back with her wings and landed in front of me.

The Fury also didn't waste time. It ran, reaching a speed that should have been impossible with the distance between us.

Another glow, from my left.

My sabre was a bat, and as the Fury tried to give me a hug of death, I managed to slide under her legs while twisting my sabre, hitting the arrow.

I only managed to have it shave off the superficial skin of the demon, but the almost success was enough to put a smile on my face. Because of the final sabre position, I had also managed to cut the Fury at the inside of her thigh. The demon eyed me with hatred, as one of its hands held on the bleeding in her leg.

Can't stop, won't stop. I pressed the ground and the air around me felt compressed, as if it did not allow to run faster, and yet, was unable to hold me down. My ears popped, a similar feeling to when you climb down a mountain, and the for a few seconds I was deaf.

I put the sword in front of me, holding just like my brother had thought me, and I hit the unprepared Fury unforgivingly. I pieced its chest, and furthermore, my momentum took us both against the stone wall of a burning building just behind the demon. The result?

I had the fury stuck to my blade, and the tip of my weapon had carved itself into the stone. Dark red blood spilled out, staining her skin and my boots. The creature looked at me, knowing it would die today, never to see the sun rise again.

My lips moved on their own. "May Hades suffer for a long as he breathes, and live forever in torment. May he bleed like the animal his slaves are!"

I ripped my sabre out of her body and let the Fury fall lifeless on the ground, turned around, and faced the skeleton beast.

"We gave you everything Hades!" I said, noticing I was alone. No knight in sight, no soldier, no human. Only his creatures, the demons of the underworld as far as my eye could see, which wasn't much since my vision was getting increasingly blurred.

A swordsman advanced, and a simple move of my wrist spat his blade away. Another swing, and the skeleton fell headless on the ground.

"And you came to take even more!"

This time, there wasn't just one, but three blurs, three objects in the air which shone with the blue fire that surrounded us.

One.

Two.

Three.

Three arrows were broken, shattered, or both, in their path to kill me.

"Coward! Come, come and face me!"

Pikemen got close, five spears coming close, and only five because the lack of space was unfavorable for a wide attack.

A leg on the front, a step back, twist the wrist, press the blade. One spear diverted. Twist it again, ran the blade around the next spear, press it, push it against the other one. Three spears diverted. No need to face the other two. Use the space left by the other three failed attacks. Go low, pass by their tips, leave the reach of their blades.

Spears were incredibly useful at distance, but a mere nuisance when you were able to pass by their sharp ends. My sabre oved in one strike, and three spears were cut in the middle. Another swipe, and two skeletons lost their legs and another lost their foot.

I saw a blade to my right. An Axe. A step back, unable to block it properly, but no actual need to block it. I let go of my sabre and moved my hands, placing in front and moving them together. Just as my brother had done to me in the arena, I guided the shard end of the axe in a round curve, and after a push, forced it to return like a pendulum into its owner's skull.

But don't let it fall from my reach. Need a new weapon. I hold its handle, pull it from the skeleton, and in one strike I break the rest of the pikemen who were still standing. And suddenly there's almost silence.

I'm surrounded, my back against the very same wall where I had dealt the last strike against the Fury. Archers have their aim on me, their bows buzzing with the tension on the string as they held the arrow in place. Skeleton beasts growl at me, and elephant included. Two Furies too are trying to kill me with their eyes from a nearby roof. They are probably not too happy about their sister. The fire on nearby buildings, that damned blue fire, was also doing a fine job at roasting me.

My skinned shoulder hurt so much it didn't even register anymore.

"So, it was you." I heard a whisper, so close it left my ear ruffled.

I hear the sound of a blade out being taken out of its sheath, but I was too slow.

My gut burns, and as I look down to see my belly engulfed in blue flames.

"HADES!"

As his creatures throw themselves at me, I do the same.

Another shower of arrows comes my way, and I deflect the first, the third, the fourth, the sixth—

Lower my axe, block the strike of a sword—And then something rips.

I'm raised high in the air, and I see the tusks of an elephant perforating right under my burning chest.

My hand falters, my head spins, but I have it in me one last strike. I feel the weapon against my ring, John's ring, and I clench the axe's handle with the rest of my strength.

I see, I aim, I throw it, the axe leaves my control. Everything goes dark, and I feel the fall, but never did I feel the landing.

%%%&%%%

[Recommended place to start Dark Souls Main Theme]

Yes, indeed.

The Bell rings.

I feel it. The ash. Little by little. It comes closer, connects—this black sand. I hear it too, the dirt moving with the wind under the Red Moon, and the sky doesn't have one cloud.

It is called Orario, where the transitory lands of the living converge.
Where the gods have truly lost their purpose, entertained, swindled by their carnal wishes
And the cursed fire roars at the center… stronger than ever, as it is left unchallenged in the deep.

I can see. This beautiful night, but after so long—how long? Waiting here for peace—oh? I can't? Must I rise?

The Bell rings.

Very well.

Unthreatened, a last chance, a last ploy, to rebalance the scale.
If not the divine to fight the divine, then so be what survived the divine…
The Unkindled will rise...
Nameless, accursed Undead, unfit even to be cinder. And so it is, that ash seeketh embers,
Embers of the fire that burnt them...

I felt my skin prickle, my muscles cold as the ash under my body, but as I moved, raised and pushed my limbs against the ground, they started to burn like that night.

That is their curse, to fight their death until they cannot live.
Unless, of course, they find him… Find the Lord of the Underworld.
To take his flame, and bring about the Age of Men.

I do not know how long it took, but I breathed, my lungs working for the first time I ages.

I remember why I cannot rest, despite the pain to keep myself standing. It would b so much better to sleep, to let it go… but it is impossible.

I must do it, accomplish my last wish. I take my first step. It hurts. Every move, every thought, every sense is perturbed. But so awake. So, so awake. I see that I can't sleep, not until I'm finished. Not until a day's work is completed.

I will destroy Hades, and never will his fire burn again.